


Expectant

by Straccia_Tella



Category: FFXV - Fandom, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Childhood, Male Friendship, Multi, rainy day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 22:04:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6628420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Straccia_Tella/pseuds/Straccia_Tella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noctis watches the citadel, waiting for a black Regalia to show up at any moment. He was willing to wait. He would wait all night if he had to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Expectant

Noctis sat on a black couch by the windowsill of the hallway gazing out the window as rain pelted the pavement, making the castle look like a hazy dream. It had been so beautiful out until the sky suddenly darkened and rain started to fall, that was the end of the prince's outdoor training for the day. Since then, he's been cooped inside with not much to do besides his usual napping and humoring Prompto in his antics.  
He rested his chin on the back of his hands, eyes focused on the citadel, like he was afraid to look away. If his eyes wavered for even a moment, he'd miss whatever he was waiting for.  
The rain made a distant humming sound on the cool glass and Noctis dared a glance at his phone- it was past five thirty...  
The young prince sighed inwardly as he returned his gaze towards the outside world. _Today_ , he thought to reassure himself. _It will definitely be today_. Time passed almost too painfully and he was only brought out of his trance when someone tapped his shoulder.  
"Your highness, dinner is ready." Ignis pushed up his glasses with a gloved hand, looking at the prince with worry. He looked so much older wearing a suit; it was hard to believe this young man was only a few years older than Noctis.  
"I'm not hungry," he muttered, looking down at the carpeted floor.  
"You meal has already been prepared. It would be rude to let it get cold."  
He hated it when Ignis always came up with a good reason for something and the prince pouted, turning his gaze back to where a row of lights were turning on around the citadel. He was acting unreasonable; he knew that, but... He had a good feeling about today.  
Noctis heard a sigh of defeat from Ignis as he turned to leave, "I'll have the food set on a tray and bring it to you."  
The prince gave an apologetic smile, "Thanks."  
Ignis straightened his suit before looking back at the boy, "Only this once, do you understand?"  


  


With the silver tray on his lap, the food wafting to his nose, he could already feel his stomach growling. Noctis briefly stared at his reflection in the glass before turning to his meal.  
His dinner consisted of a glass of water, a silver bowl of green soup, a small plate with two slices of toasted bread with butter on the side; and finally, a slice of meat with gravy laying over a piece of lettuce hidden underneath. As if to add insult to injury two plump cherry tomatoes were placed carefully next to green. Noctis frowned, no doubt Ignis told the chef to put in more vegetables for the prince's diet.  
He idly stirred his soup, watching the small ripples he made with the spoon spreading out in the bowl. The prince was almost thirteen (as Ignis always reminded), but he still hated vegetables. There was something... Intangibly disgusting about them that Noctis couldn't describe, Gladios laughed and said that the prince was just a picky eater.  
After another minute of playing with his food, he raised the spoon up; the bright green liquid seemed to be mocking him the longer he glared at it. He scrunched his up as he drank and it took all of his willpower to swallow. Setting the spoon down and pushing the bowl aside, he turned to the window and stuck his tongue out. It was bright green like the soup. He gave a glum grin to his reflection, remembering something that happened just like this. 

  


_"You're not going to eat your soup?" His father asked, looking up at Noctis from across the table. The prince grumbled forlornly._  
_"... It won't taste good."_  
_"Now, don't say that," his father started talking more gently, trying to coax his son. "The Chef would be upset if you don't at least try it."_  
_He watched his father take a sip and then shake his head; his throat gave a low growl before he stuck out his tongue. Noctis couldn't help but laugh, the color looked like his father had just eaten a bunch of grass. He warily scooped a spoonful of soup and took a sip._

  


Noctis had taken a piece of toast, spreading a good amount of butter on it and then took a bite to get rid of the taste on his tongue. As he took a sip of water he glanced out the window again. When he finished the toast, he went after the meat. The tray was cleared of almost everything but the soup and vegetables, which had been pushed aside like they were the plague. Ignis would probably scold his prince for not eating the healthy options on his plate, he decided it didn't matter as he continued his previous activity.  
All he wanted was to see the Regalia, and he would have been content. However, as the hours passed, his uneasiness grew along with the heavy feeling in his eyes. As he readjusted himself to get rid of the stiffness in his back Ignis returned.  
"Highness...." He began, but shook his head and picked up the tray. "It's almost time for you to sleep."  
"Ignis…” Noctis begged.  
"I won't have you falling asleep here and catching a cold."  
"Please, Ignis." he turned to face the older boy, trying to make his face as pitiable as possible. He was getting older, so he was going to keep using this trick until Ignis decided when his puppy-dog face shouldn’t get any more free passes.  
"Fine," Ignis knew how stubborn the prince could be. "But if you start drifting off to sleep, you go off to bed immediately, alright?"  
Noctis quickly agreed and he was left alone again, it was raining even harder now; would it rain all night? He checked his phone: eight thirty-three. He tried making himself comfortable, keeping vigilant watch for his target. He could do wait, in the end it was all just a matter of perseverance, and will. 

  


About an hour later, he could feel his eyes getting heavier the longer he waited. He pinched his cheek, but that hardly incited him to stay awake.  
It will be today, Noctis thought as drops of rain slid down the window like tears. _Just a little longer. Just gotta stay awake a little longer... He kept repeating those words like a mantra or a charm over and over in his mind, as if there were no other words to fill his head._  
_But... What if he doesn't show up today?_ A voice of doubt muttered in the back of his mind. _It's already so late._  
_No_ , Noctis thought. _He'll be here._  
_What makes you think so?_  
He growled, telling the voice to shut up and tried blinking away his sleepiness. _It will be today, just wait and see._  
In thirty minutes he began to nod off and after three, he was already fast asleep. The rain gently tapped the window as the prince laid his head against the cool glass. The lights outside left a hazy beam in the rain, but no black car had appeared.  


  


"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, rise and shine." A gruff voice said and Noctis slowly woke up to a large hand shaking his shoulder.  
“Awake yet, your highness?” Ignis implored as Noctis tried to swat at a hand that was patting his cheek.  
“New record bud, took us twenty minutes to get you up this time!” Prompto laughed airily, rubbing the back of his had where Noctis had managed to hit.  
The prince grumbled more as Prompto and Gladiolus pulled him so he was sitting upright. He had to blink his eyes a few times before he recognized the room he was in; it was his room. Noctis adjusted his eyesight onto his friends. Gladiolus was wearing a black leather jacket and matching colored jeans, but he wore no shirt, instead opting to go bare-chested to show off his muscles. He noted that the eldest of the group had decided to grow his hair as it went just below his tanned ears. He shifted his gaze over to Prompto, whose hair stuck up like a Chocobo’s wild and fun. Noctis often joked that he had probably been a Chocobo in a past life based on his appearance. Prompto wore a simple white shirt, short black jeans and a jacket tied to his waist, his easy-going personality made him seem younger than Noctis, even though they were about the same age.  
He rubbed his eyes and looked around at his friends, his sounded a bit scratched. “When did I…?”  
“Gladio bravely volunteered to carry you here last night and paid the price. You fell asleep at the couch and I’m glad I went to check up on you just in case.” He pushed up his glasses and muttered under his breath, “I told you to go to bed if you were starting to feel sleepy and yet…”  
Gladiolus rubbed at his jaw. “You pushed on my chin pretty hard when I tried to pry you off that couch, Noct.”  
“Yeah,” Prompto laughed. “It looked like you could have twisted his head off if you tried hard enough.”  
The laughter and banter was lost to the prince as he gripped the blankets into his fists. Briefly glancing out the windows with crimson curtains drawn to the side showed him the rain had stopped.  
“Did my father…?” he ventured the question and the group suddenly looked at each other with uneasiness. Noctis was at that point in his life where he was slowly coming into the adult world, and at the same time, his father was becoming busier and busier in helping the kingdom maintain peace. They knew deep down Noctis was sad whenever he heard his father going off on business, because that meant he wouldn’t have enough time to spend with him and he wouldn’t see him for a while. He always promised to return as soon as he could, but the days he was gone might as well have felt like weeks.  
“The king… didn’t arrive last night as well, your highness,” Ignis answered. “There hasn’t been word if he’ll return today either.”  
The prince was quiet for a good minute before he answered almost indifferently, “I see, thank you for informing me.”  
Gladiolus patted the boy’s shoulder and Prompto didn’t have any words for his friend, “Sorry, bud” just didn’t seem like something that would cheer him up.  
“I’ll go alert the kitchen staff to tell them you’re awake,” Ignis said as if trying to lighten the mood.  
The three quickly walked out of the room and the door closed quietly, leaving Noctis alone to his thoughts. He was wide-awake now, and sighed as he brought his knees to his chest. He’d gotten used to it all, the disappointment, the waiting and the loneliness. The best way he knew how to cope with it all, was by pretending it didn’t matter whether or not his father showed. It wasn’t like he was saving stories to tell him if he ever returned; like things he did at school, new skills he learned while wielding his powers, or even just small mundane things. He knew his father had a duty to his kingdom, and that helped him get through the day a bit more, but it still left a gap in his heart.  
Noctis looked to the side of his carved wooden night stand and picked up the white luminescent figurine and rolled the cool object around in his palm; it was a gift from his father. It looked like a small white fox with long ears and a tail with a horn on its head, obsidian eyes dutifully standing guard as if it would come to life and protect him at any moment. He called it Carbuncle, a guardian who he met in his dreams, something that knew his deepest desires, and how vulnerable the prince truly felt.  
He sadly looked at the figure and held it close to his chest, tears daring to well up in his eyes.  
A gentle knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts and he placed the Carbuncle back on his stand and wiped his eyes using his sleeve. He cleared his throat before answering.  
“Yes?”  
“Your highness, are you still awake? Breakfast is ready.” Ignis’ voice sounded muffled through the dark oak door and Noctis wondered if Prompto and Gladiolus were standing next to him.  
“Yeah, I’m just getting dressed. I’ll be out in a moment.” Noctis replied, sliding out of bed and putting on his usual clothes. He gave the Carbuncle one last look as he grabbed onto the knob of door. He thought he heard the creature give a small squeak as if to assure him it would all be okay and he smiled. Somehow… he believed that.  
“See you,” he whispered and opened the door, greeted by Prompto throwing an arm over Noctis’ shoulder.  
“Kept us waiting, Noct,” Gladiolus grinned and patted the boys back a bit roughly. “Be sure to eat up so we can spar again. Yesterday we had to cut it short, but I won’t be going easy today.”  
“You bet,” Noctis grinned. “What are we waiting for? I’m starving.”  
“Finally, if you went back to sleep I would have eaten your food instead of waiting. I’m hungrier than a giant Chocobo!” Prompto said, letting Noctis go and placed his arms behind his head.  
“You’ll turn into one if you continue to divulge yourself in an excess of food,” Ignis pointed out and Gladiolus roared in laughter.  
“I agree,” Noctis smiled and Prompto sighed in exasperation. “Come on, I’ll race you. First gets to pick.”  
“Challenge accepted, Noct!”  
He and Prompto eagerly sprinted down the halls as Gladiolus and Ignis walked in long strides, telling the younger boys to slow down. It was just the start of another day.

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a screenshot I saw where the Carbuncle was having a conversation with Noct. It was pretty heart wrenching to say the least and thus, a new fanfic was born… First post!


End file.
